Bins, silos, and other storage containers receive particulate materials, such as grain that has been harvested. This particulate material is dried in the storage container to preserve the particulate material and to extend the useful life of the same.
In drying and maintaining grain and other particulate material, air, up to and including millions of cubic feet of air, can be blown through a storage container by a fan. The grain or other particulate material can serve as a large filter for the air, which traps the dust, pollen, and pollutants in the grain. When the dried material is moved or otherwise removed from the storage container, an auger such as a sweep auger can be used in conjunction with other augers or moving means to move the grain. At the point of using the sweep auger to finish unloading of the bin it is necessary for a person to be in the bin or other storage container to aid in further cleaning and removing the grain or other particulate material. For example, two to four inches of grain can remain on the floor behind the sweep auger.
However, the sweep auger can stir dust and other hazardous elements that has been trapped or otherwise held within the grain. This can create a risk of inhalant hazards or other harmful effects for the people within the storage container cleaning up the grain or other particulate material.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a way to mitigate the harmful effects associated with the release of hazardous airborne matter and other toxins due to the removal of grain or other particulate material within a storage container. There also exists a need to be able to adapt a system for use with the varying types, sizes, and other configurations of storage containers that hold a particulate material.